Jade Tales #1: Jaded Destiny
by Greig Walker
Summary: In the early days of the Empire, a young girl's fate is decided by her father and an old friend.


The door knocked abruptly, causing Marcus, deep in thought, to jump up in shock.

He tentatively approached the front door of the apartment, his mind filled with the terrifying imagery of the Imperial military. As he turned on the holocam he almost expected to be confronted with the brilliant, brutal white of a legion of Imperial stormtroopers having discovered his less-than-legal activities as the New Order began to tighten its grip on the galaxy.

The holocam, however, presented an altogether different image of a hidden figure clad in dark robes. Marcus sighed with relief and opened the front door. Without saying a word, the shadowy visitor entered the apartment.

"Welcome, General Kenobi." Said Marcus brightly, unable to hide his relief at meeting one of the few men, like himself, still loyal to the values of the Old Republic – the men most despised and persecuted by the Empire.

Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled back his hood revealling his worn face, now bearing a straggly beard and dark, haunted eyes. Marcus gestured for him to sit and the Jedi did so.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Obi-Wan. I have always appreciated your friendship… especially now." Marcus paused, aware that the Jedi Knight's thoughts were elsewhere. Obi-Wan was staring out of the appartment's window. The huge Imperial Palace that overshadowed all of the buildings on Coruscant now marred the once-beautiful view.

Obi-Wan turned suddenly. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. It's about your daughter."

Marcus shrank back into his padded seat. His eldest daughter, who he had not seen for years, had been identified as force-sensitive and trained by the Jedi on Coruscant almost 16 years ago. Marcus could remember the pride with which he let his daughter be taken from him and trained in the Jedi arts. However, in recent years reverence for the Jedi order had degenerated into hatred and distrust thanks to Imperial propaganda.

Obi-Wan continued. "It is customary that the families of the Jedi are told little about their relatives, but under the circumstances I feel that I ought to tell you about your daughter." Marcus stared at his old friend, eager for information, however bad, about the daughter he never knew. "She was a model student who gained the respect of her elders. She became the Padawan learner of a great Jedi named Ki-Adi-Mundi and was nearly granted the title of Jedi Knight."

"Did she fight in the Clone Wars?" asked Marcus slowly.

"Yes. Your daughter was both strong in the force and dedicated. However, I'm sure you are aware that the fortunes of the Jedi have changed of late." Obi-Wan addressed Marcus directly. "She was murdered with her master by Vader."

"I'm sorry." The Jedi bowed his head, feeling an immense sense of guilt for the deaths of these two Jedi felled by the hand of Darth Vader. And for the deaths of so many others.

Marcus felt deeply sad for the death of his daughter, but a sense of pride that she had fought in the name of good at a time when so many other young people were transfixed by the idealism of the New Order. Obi-Wan interrupted his line of thought.

"I'm afraid my time is limited, old friend. Which brings me to another issue I wish to discuss."

As if in anticipation of the following discussion, the red haired toddler ran into the room and positioned herself on her father's lap.

"Hello little one. Do you remember me?" asked Obi-Wan.

The child scanned him with its inquisitive and piercing eyes. "No." she said blandly.

Obi-Wan chuckled softly. She reminded him of Marcus' late wife. "And what's this you're carrying?" asked Obi-Wan, noticing a Jade sculpture the child clutched. In response the child simply hid the sculpture from view.

"Mara has become rather attached to a moulding of an Alderaanian pony. She takes it everywhere." The toddler promptly leapt from her father's lap and scuttled off to her room, her red hair flailing wildly.

Once she had left Marcus slowly realised what Obi-Wan wished to discuss. "They won't find her," he stated confidently, "they can't. Compulsory blood testing of all infants stopped before Mara was born. There's no way that the Empire would know that…"

"Marcus," interrupted Obi-Wan, "when one sibling is force-sensitive, it's almost certain that the other is. The Emperor knows this. Besides, blood testing was only stopped because the Emperor's scientists had invented a portable midi-chlorian scanner to identify force-sensitive individuals for… eradication."

Having paused for emphasis, the Jedi again turned to his old friend. "Marcus, I'm afraid that I must leave soon. I will never see you again. Please take me seriously when I make this offer – I am willing to take Mara from you into my protection. Coruscant is no longer safe for any of us; however, there are places where Vader will not suspect me to be hiding."

Marcus eyed the Jedi slowly. He respected the Jedi's wisdom and judgement. But could he give up another daughter and live through years of doubt only to find out that she was dead? Marcus suspected that Obi-Wan had greater plans for his daughter in defeating the Emperor and Darth Vader. Could he sentence his spirited daughter to that destiny? Marcus was still a man with some degree of influence, and he felt certain that he could protect his daughter. There was no good reason to believe that the authorities knew of Mara's force potential.

"No, Obi-Wan. I won't lose a second daughter. Mara belongs with me." Marcus recounted to Obi-Wan of how hard it was to let his first daughter fulfil her destiny within the ranks of the Jedi. He reminisced about his time as the Head of Intelligence for the Republic, and how he had to liase with the Jedi, each time dying to ask forbidden questions about his daughter's progress. Marcus' status had dropped as Ubiqtorate had taken over intelligence for the New Order, but he felt that he was still important enough to protect his daughter. After all, he still worked in Coruscant, the heart of the galaxy!

Obi-Wan smiled tightly as he remembered the golden days of the Republic. Obi-Wan felt a tingling of his danger sense and remembered that the dark times were now, with the Sith Lords in control of the galaxy. He raised himself to his full height.

"I must go now Marcus. I ask you to reconsider your decision. The galaxy is a dangerous place for us all. Remember this, nothing happens by chance and your daughter's fate will be decided now!"

Marcus shook the hand of the Jedi. "My friend, I am sad to see you go. I have lost many friends lately, but I will not lose my daughter. I am confident I can protect her."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Then farewell. May the force be with you."

As he concealed himself once more in his robes and rushed from the building, young Mara ran to the door to see the Jedi away. But he had gone.

 

The door knocked again. Marcus was stirred from watching holo-recordings of his late wife to answer the knock. Perhaps Obi-Wan had returned.

Marcus didn't bother to check the holocam before he opened the door and was confronted by the very nightmarish brigade of white stormtroopers he had feared for so long.

In shock and desparation, Marcus tried to enquire as to their visit, but the fearsome troops simply held him at gunpoint and marched him back into his apartment.

A young man in navy Imperial garb followed the troops. Marcus recognised him as Jaime Covell, one of his subordinates. Covell had been an unscrupulous and ambitious individual who had joined intelligence during the Clone Wars and seemed unlikely to go far under the values of the Republic. However, such individuals had risen into positions of power under the New Order.

"I won't waste your time, Marcus. We are aware that you have been in contact with a known criminal for some time and that you harbour a working ethos which is out of sync, shall we say, with that of the glorious New Order." The young man continued with some relish, "As such, this crime is punishable by death." Marcus could hear a soft scratching noise from the back of the apartment.

Covell let the words linger menacingly before continuing. "I offer you an alternative. The governor of Malastare needs help in monitoring the local criminal fraternity. I suggest you consider this offer. If you accept we will forget any previous deviant activities you have undertaken."

What was being proposed was effective banishment to do an unimportant job on an unimportant world. "I assume that you will be adopting my duties on Coruscant in my absence?" asked Marcus.

"Of course," replied Covell. Marcus prepared to launch into a decorative refusal when he heard another strange sound from elsewhere in the appartment.

"Papa!" shouted Mara. Without thinking, Marcus launched himself into the child's room. Unknown to him, Covell had prevented the stormtroopers from simply gunning him down as he ran.

As he ran into Mara's bedroom, he could see the child being carried by the skeletal stormtroopers through a hole in the apartment wall onto a skiff. The child simply looked bemused, as always carrying the pony sculpture.

Marcus reacted instinctively, pulling out a hidden blaster from his belt and opening fire futilely on the escaping stormtroopers.

As he was shot dead from behind he again saw Mara being carried away, clutching the Jade sculpture as Obi-Wan's words rang through his head. Nothing happens by chance. Mara's fate had been sealed.


End file.
